The Truth at Last
by HpIcMlVr
Summary: James, Sirius, and Peter confront Remus about his condition. Remus is terrified of their reaction, but he never suspected this...One shot of how three boys decided become animagi for their friend.


**This idea suddenly popped into my head, and I just had to write it, I couldn't help it. Hope you like it :D**

Remus had a headache. He wasn't really sure of anything that had happened the night before in the Shrieking Shack. All he remembered was pain and anger and misery. Looking forward to sleeping all day he made his way back to the Gryffindor common room. With luck he would be in bed before anyone woke up, and there would be no awkward questions until he was fully rested.

He had told them that his mother was gravely ill, and that he had to go to her. He knew he saw doubt in James' eyes when he told them, but luckily James didn't push it. He always accepted Remus' lies as truth and for that Remus was grateful. What if they found out? What if they discovered his deepest, darkest secret, which he fought to keep his whole life? They would be scared of him, that much he knew. If they ever found out he would be shunned by the only friends he had ever had.

And he couldn't let that happen.

"Balderdash." Remus said.

"Why are you up so early..?" The Fat Lady mumbled sleepily, the portrait opening to reveal the empty Gryffindor common room. Slowly, he made his way up to the Dormitory he shared with James, Sirius, and Peter, looking forward to sleeping for hours in his comfortable four poster bed. However, when he opened the door he stopped suddenly. His three roommates and best friends were all sitting on their beds, fully clothed, staring at him.

Remus quickly shut the door. "Why are you all up?" He asked, confused.

"Ah, Remus, how was your mum?" James asked, a strange look in his eye.

"She'll live." Remus said uncertainly, his eyes jumping from James to Sirius to Peter.

"Nice night, wasn't it?" Sirius added, looking out the window, "Did you see the moon? It was full tonight."

"I didn't notice it." Remus muttered, his face growing hot.

"Of course not, you had other things on your mind, I suppose." James said, suddenly looking at Remus very seriously. "We know Remus."

"What?"

"We know your secret. I can't believe you thought we'd never figure it out."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Remus said quickly, his fear mounting, "I have no secret to hide from you."

"Aw Remus, do you really think we're stupid?" Asked Sirius.

"I don't know-"

"Every night on the full moon you make up some wild excuse to leave the castle for the night, expecting us to believe what you tell us." James said.

"No, I swear, I don't know what you're talking about. It's all coincidence really, my mum-"

"Your lying Remus. Your mum is fine. You know it, we know it, so you might as well stop going on about it. We saw you." Sirius cut him off, sounding annoyed.

"You what?"

"Sirius, Peter, and I followed you two months ago, under the invisibilty cloak of course. We saw Madame Pomfrey lead you through the tunnel unter the Womping Willow. You know, before then we never did make the connection, it was grown the year we came you Hogwarts, the year you came." James said.

"I-I was-"

"So we did a little sneaking around. Sirius and I told you we had detention, but really the pair of us got past the willow and went through the tunnel, under the cloak. We found ourselves in the Shrieking Shack. Funny, they say it's haunted. That was also built upon your arrival. And people only hear noices from it once a month." James was now staring at Remus with a compleatly unreadable face.

"From then we started doing a little research. The signs are all there. You can't deny it."

Remus was terrified. They knew. They knew and there was nothing he could say. He couldn't deny it. He knew they had all the proof they needed, and he had no other reason why he left on the full moon, why he went through the passage to the Shrieking Shack, why the screams were only heard on the full moon. He looked around at his three best friends and felt defeated as the reality of the moment hit him. It was over. His only friends he ever had knew the truth about him.

He was alone.

"You're a werewolf." James said suddenly.

Knowing there was no point in denying it, Remus slowly nodded, trying not to show the pain he felt.

"I'm sorry." Remus muttered, looking at the floor, "But please, don't tell anyone. I'll do anything. I'll tell Dumbledore I need my own room, I'll do anything you ask, but please, please don't tell. I don't think I could stand-" He broke off, unable to continue. James looked at him curiously.

"Why didn't you tell us?" He asked.

"Dumbledore said not to. And-and I knew that you'd-I never had friends before. I thought maybe if you didn't know you might actually like me. But now that's over. I'm sorry, I really am." He turned to leave the Dormitory.

"I'm discusted." Remus paused, fighting back a tear that threatened to fall upon hearing James' comment. He knew how people felt about people like him. But to hear his own friend actually say it out loud...he didn't think he could handle it. He reached for the doorknob.

"Really, who does he think we are?" Asked Sirius lightly. Peter laughed. Hearing this sudden change in tone he spun around. Peter was staring at Remus facinated. Sirius was smiling slightly, but looking confused. James' face was still unreadable.

"What?" Remus asked, confused.

"That's discusting." James said once more, "I can't believe that you actually thought we'd abandon you just because you're a werewolf."

Remus stood there awestruck. Of everything he had not expected this.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Said Sirius, "It's like he thinks we're a bunch of Slytherins or something." Peter laughed at Sirius' remark.

"What are you saying?" Remus asked, confused. However, James ignored Remus and looked at Sirius and Peter.

"I say it's time we tell him the plan." He said simply. Sirius and Peter nodded in agreement.

"What plan?"

"Well you see, we were doing a little bit of research in the library about your...condition." James explained.

"My condition?" Remus said, "You make it sound like I'm ill..."

"Fine." Said James, "We were doing a little bit of research regarding your...furry little friend." Remus smiled as Sirius suddenly roared in laughter, Peter laughing slightly as well. James simply shrugged and continued, "And we realized something. Werewolfs only harm humans. Animals on the other hand are perfectly safe when with a werewolf. See, animals don't turn into werewolfs like humans do."

"Okay?" Remus said, bewildered. Where was this going?

"Also, werewolfs can't hurt people who turn into animals, you know animagi, in their animal form."

Remus suddenly had an idea where this was going, but wasn't sure he liked it.

"I read that when alone werewolfs scratch and bite themselves, and altogether it's very painful and lonly to be one. So, Sirius, Peter and I did some research and figured we could do it."

"Do what?"

"It's really difficult of course, but we've got two of the brightest minds in the school in this room. I think we can figure it out."

"Do what?" Remus asked again, already knowing the answer.

James smiled. "We've decided. Sirius'll be a dog, large enough to keep a werewolf at bay, don't you think? And someone needs to be small enough to get past the Whomping Willow. That'll be Peter. He's gonna turn into a rat. As for me, I'm going to be a stag. I think the antlers would keep us safe, don't you think? Also, it's large enough to make sure you don't go running off."

Remus looked from friend to friend, unable to believe what he was hearing. They knew the truth, but instead of shunning him they were offering to help him, to ease his pain and lonliness. He knew their plan was absolutely mental. He knew that it included breaking countless school rules, not to mention various wizarding laws. But he also knew that they meant it. They really wanted to help him. They already had this whole thing planned out, and there was no stopping James and Sirius when they had an idea.

Remus broke out into a large smile, happiness he had never felt before flooding through him. Looking at his three best friends he had no words to describe how he felt, what it meant to him, but he knew they knew how he felt. Each one was grinning at Remus' expression, James most of all, who looked pleased at his idea, and Remus' reaction.

"Thank you." Remus said, trying to express all his feelings in these two words.

They understood.

**That's it! Review? **


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